Chapter 5 - The Glass Fortress
The penthouse of the Sterling Tower rose eighty stories above the illuminated grid of Manhattan, a gleaming monument of glass, steel, and absolute power. Security was impenetrable—biometric scanners, facial recognition cameras, and a dozen heavily armed security guards patrolling every corridor.
Disguised as a high-end catering staff member with a platinum wig and dark contacts, Eleanor slipped through the service elevator alongside Marcus. Her heart beat like a war drum against her ribs. Underneath her sharp black suit jacket, she carried a military-grade EMP device capable of knocking out the building’s power grid for precisely ninety seconds.
In the grand boardroom, Thomas Sterling sat at the head of a massive mahogany table surrounded by panic-stricken board members. Thomas was fifty, cold, impeccably groomed, with eyes like a viper.
"With Julian incapacitated and his fugitive wife on the run, Sterling Global requires strong leadership," Thomas announced, his voice smooth and commanding. "I am proposing an immediate vote to transfer full voting rights of the Sterling family trust to my office."
Suddenly, the lights flickered and plunged the entire floor into pitch darkness. The backup generators sputtered, silenced by Marcus’s virus. Panic erupted in the boardroom.
"Security! Get the lights!" Thomas shouted, reaching for his desk drawer.
A pair of night-vision goggles clicked into place over Eleanor’s eyes. She moved like a shadow across the room, bypassing the frantic board members, until she stood directly behind Thomas. She pressed the cold barrel of a suppressed pistol against the back of his neck.
"Move a muscle, Thomas, and I’ll blow your ambition out the front of your forehead," Eleanor whispered into his ear.
Thomas froze, a slick bead of sweat rolling down his temple. "Eleanor... you’re making a grave mistake. You’re a mother. Think of Leo."
"I am thinking of Leo," she growled, pulling a flash drive from her pocket and plugging it into the central server console beneath the board table. "This drive contains the unedited audio from Arthur’s radio transmission before he died. The moment the power comes back on, it broadcasts to every major news network in North America."
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Thomas chuckled softly, a chilling sound in the dark. "You really think truth matters in our world, Eleanor? Look out the window."
Eleanor glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling glass panel. Through the dark reflections of the city, she saw two laser sights painting red dots across her chest.
